...." Information leading to Laurean's apprehension was gathered from electronic communication devices seized about two weeks ago from the house in Jacksonville where Christina Laurean has been living since her husband vanished, confirmed Dewey Hudson, district attorney for the 4th Prosecutorial District that includes Onslow County.

Prosecutors remain convinced that Laurean's wife, Christina Laurean, was not involved in the death of Lance Cpl. Maria Lauterbach, Hudson said, but investigators have been gathering evidence that she had been in contact with him since he fled Onslow County."....

Magdalena Guzman, a spokeswoman for Michoacan state prosecutors, told The Associated Press that police carrying out an anti-kidnapping operation stopped Laurean as he wandered on a street in the rural township of Tacambaro, Michoacan, because they thought he looked suspicious.

When they realized he didn't speak Spanish well, they became even more suspicious and ran his name through a computer, learning he was wanted for Lauterbach's slaying.

"You know my name. You know who I am," Laurean told The Associated Press while being held at the Michoacan state Attorney General's Office in Morelia, the state capital.

Asked if he wanted to say anything, Laurean simply said "Proof," but wouldn't explain. Asked what he would do next, he replied, "do I have a choice? ... I don't know."".....

Desertion may not be the only capital offense he committed. If the original rape charges stick under the UCMJ he's looking at:

ART. 120. RAPE AND CARNAL KNOWLEDGE

(a) Any person subject to this chapter who commits an act of sexual intercourse with a female not his wife, by force and without consent, is guilty of rape and shall be punished by death or such other punishment as a court-martial may direct.

Immediate trial with the death penalty excuted on his sorry murdering butt. I hope his wife is convicted as well and gets the needle for accessory, aiding’abetting and helping the POS escape to mehico.

Is that charge being handled by the civi’s? Or are they just going to handle the murder...

I do believe that the MARINE CORPS took a back seat to this when they figured out that he was headed to mexico, so they could go after the death penalty without having the diplomatic problem with mexico. I just hope that when the military justice is done with him that they bring back the gallows and hang him!

106
posted on 04/11/2008 7:07:19 AM PDT
by TMSuchman
(American by birth Rebel by choice, MARINE by act of GOD!)

The linked article mentions that the media was saying she was bipolar, and a liar. On the other hand, she certainly did not burn herself up, even if, as has been suggested, she killed herself. Boy, what a mess.

"Is that charge being handled by the civis? Or are they just going to handle the murder... I do believe that the MARINE CORPS took a back seat..."

IIRC, the victim was about to testify at an Article 32 hearing on the rape charge when she went missing...then he deserted shortly thereafter.

The UCMJ is kind of a unique system in that jurisdiction is not geographic, but rather based on the status of the uniformed service member...even if an active duty soldier is on leave at the furthest point on earth from any US military installation, and commits an offense, he is still subject to the code. Consequently, even the homocide is conceivably prosecutable under the UCMJ, even it it occurred off post, although in that sort of situation the local authorities normally prosecute state offenses (although in this case, the USMC may want to assert primacy since he killed another Marine). Just by virtue of who and where he was at the time of the crime, he was already in both the state and federal stew pots.

I heard on the news yesterday that about 700 hundred American women have been raped overseas by our soldiers. Over 600 of them were female military. Are there going to be a large number of executions? or will most get their hands slapped?

"Are there going to be a large number of executions? or will most get their hands slapped?"

How many convictions have there been? There may also be cases under the SOFA where a service member was was not convicted under the UCMJ, but was convicted of rape under the laws of a host country which doesn't consider rape a capital crime.

A Military Trial council, like a DA in a civilian trial needs to reach a pretty high bar, and would have to demonstrate extreme aggravating circumstances in order to seek the death penalty in a Rape Case. Although I can't throw precise stats at you, my experience has been that the majority of service member on service member rape cases are barracks incidents that are generally analogous to the date rape allegations that arise from college dorm situations. I suspect the UCMJ keeps this a viable penalty simply because a service member raping a civilian of a subjugated enemy nation is an act of the worst kind of barbarism, and creates harm not only the victim on site, but severely undermines the goals and ideals of the nation as well as placing the soldier's fellow service members at risk for retribution from locals.

Had Laurean stayed and faced the rape allegations against him, he may have gone to court martial, but would have not faced the death penalty. On the other hand, now, if I were the prosecutor and I thought I had the evidence to convict him of rape, I'd go for the death penalty on the rape charge as well as the murder charge just in case he was somehow able to get one or the other charge thrown out or overturned.

While FL may agree with the scumbag Mexicans not to put him to death if convicted, NC may not have to enter into that “agreement”. Even if the Marines don’t put him to death, I think there’s still a chance that the skank will fry.

Notice how the MNM refuses to cover this. I just watched 30 minutes on all cable news channels and NOTHING ON THIS!! Could it be that the MNM is afraid to cover this because he’s a Latino double murderer-rapist AND possibly an illegal alien? After all, he WAS born ion Mexico, making him a Mexican national...

Maybe it's not considered sensational now? I don't know. I think there's a press conference this afternoon, but don't know who's carrying it. Since it may take a while for him to be extradited back to the US, I expect it will fall out of the news fairly quickly, again.

I heard that this guy’s wife has been in contact him since he fled to Mexico. Charges might be coming regarding that. I think, IIRC, the wife also helped him clean up the blood stains and she believed that his victim had committed suicide. Somehow I have a suspicious feeling that the wife might have had a hand in the woman’s death. It seems in the beginning the police said the wife was cooperating, but if she remained in contact with the guy (and if it was not a ploy encouraged by the police) it sure sounds bad for the wife, too.

119
posted on 04/11/2008 8:34:53 AM PDT
by CitizenM
("An excuse is worse than an lie, because an excuse is a lie hidden." Pope John Paul, II)

[snip] Since Laurean holds both U.S. and Mexican citizenship, he cannot be immediately deported, Guzman said. His Mexican citizenship requires an extradition hearing, she said.

His capture in Mexico protects Laurean from facing the death penalty in the United States. Mexico’s extradition policy prohibits U.S. officials from seeking capital punishment against fugitives turned over by Mexican authorities.

If Laurean chooses to fight extradition, it could take up to two years to return him to North Carolina, Hudson said.

I have not found our old thread - but we questioned whether Maria & Laurean had an illicit affair - & she got pregnant & became vindictive when he refused to leave his controlling wife.

If Maria was so terrified of Laurean - we have to wonder how she was lured to the Laurean house. It looks like a woman’s plan - to call her over to discuss child support in exchange for dropping the rape allegation(s).

I have this nagging belief that the wife attacked Maria and bullied Laurean into skipping town. The wife seems not to be afraid of her “murdering husband”. It looks as if he has been following her orders since day one.

It's still unclear exactly how and when Laurean will be returned to North Carolina to face the charges. Onslow County District Attorney Dewey Hudson has agreed not to seek the death penalty in exchange for cooperation in the extradition of Laurean were he to be captured in Mexico, which has traditionally refused to return American fugitives to the United States without such a promise. A contested extradition to the United States from Mexico has been known to take up to a year or more. Authorities in North Carolina are expected to address the issue during a news conference today.

Unless he kidnapped her, this could well be the case. Just from the few facts revealed initially, it sounded that she was had at least a partial involvement. And him having a barbecues over their bodies was beyond perverted!

An upcoming joint US-Israel report on the September 6 IAF strike on a Syrian facility will claim that former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein transferred weapons of mass destruction to the country, Channel 2 stated Monday.

From the U.S. standpoint there is no such thing, with the exception of Israeli-U.S. citizenship. In other words, we don't recognize his Mexican citizenship. The problem for U.S. law-enforcement officials in this case is that Mexico considers him a Mexican citizen, and our extradition agreement with Mexico allows the Mexican government to give him whatever “due process” (interminable hearings, etc.) is appropriate as a result of that.

From the presser - it looks as if LE was tracking Laurean in Mexico (from his contact with wifey perhaps). They may have been waiting for him to sneak back into the US - and were hoping they could arrest him here - rather than extradicting from Mexico.

Too bad - but a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.

No other warrants are being issued - based on the investigation to date - however if facts change........

My husband just phoned. He heard part of the press conference. He said it was sickening. From what he heard, the Sheriff in NC (???) made comments such as: *Cesar Laurean deserves to be treated like a human being. The Baby Killer murders a mother and her baby, burns the bodies, holds barbecues over the bodies, and the Sheriff cries over the "poor guy." WTH is going on? *His prayers or something is with the family of Cesar - I wonder what he said about his victims' family. Apparently he family here in the US(?) has refused to learn English - whatever that has anything to do with the case.

LE is damned if they do & damned if they don’t. I understood the Sheriff’s statement to be “This animal doesn’t deserve it — but we are forced to treat him as a human because this is America” Different nuance I guess;)

Christina’s attorney sure has staked out her turf - he claims she had nothing to do with the murder or the clean up or the burning. We have to conclude she is either the most calculating pre-meditated murderer on the planet or she is deaf, dumb and blind.

Oh - and during the presser - all of the LE representatives went overboard with praise for “Christina” - not Mrs. Laurean. They mentioned how much she still loves her husband (the mother & baby burner)and how she did not provide him with money - which would have been a felony - but only communicated with him - which of course is not illegal.

Her attorney also claimed that the Marines had ordered her not to comment on the case - to keep a low profile and asked that the press respect her privacy in this sensitive matter.

Her statements are exactly what one would expect of an instigator/accomplice. What normal person would communicate with a perverts such as Cesar Laurean and say she loved him unless she had serious involvement with the crime and/or is a sociopath who gets a kick out of it. The image of him barbecuing over the bodies is something that I find hard to shake.

If Cesar Laurean PLANNED to kill Maria - he surely would have taken her to an isolated place and disposed of her body. Wife would not have known or could have provided an alibi and there would not have been a barbecue.

However, if Maria’s killing was the result of an angry rage attack - who is the most betrayed and aggrieved party in this triangle?

And the strangest words out of the captured Laurean “I loved her”. Have to wonder what reaction that admission will provoke from Christina?

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